We thank Governor Markell for his leadership on SB 185, and for highlighting the need to update and strengthen Delaware’s lobbying law. Requiring lobbyists to disclose the numbers of the bills on which they are lobbying will give the public a better understanding of how public policy is shaped in Dover. And as a further benefit of the bill, we believe that an increased understanding of the role of lobbyists will inspire the public to want further reforms and more transparency.

While running for Governor in 2008, Jack Markell made a bold statement about actions that he would take to protect freshwater wetlands, including "significant investment of time and political capital," the formation of a "Wetlands Protection Work group" that would "have a mandate to develop recommendations within six months that specifically address how best to protect each category of wetlands in our state," and to initiate a dialogue about wetlands.

The Delaware Chapter of the Sierra Club joined a coalition of environmental groups in Delaware that sent a letter to Governor Markell on June 24, 2011 asking him to exercise leadership in the development and implementation of a comprehensive energy and climate change plan that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make Delaware “more resilient to the dangers of climate change for generations to come.” Most of these groups met with Governor Markell on February 1, 2012 to present information about the importance of proceeding with this effort. This report documents this endeavor, and provides a foundation for moving forward in the long-range comprehensive energy and climate change planning process.